Chelsea preparing a bid for Dutch starlet who shares Hazard agent

Adam Maher is a name that many avid football video-game fans will know through spending hours on end buying all the best players to lead Wimbledon to Champions League glory, but what about the player himself in, you know, real life?

Having made his debut for AZ Alkmaar in 2010 at the tender age of 17, the Moroccan born Dutch wonderkid has impressed quite a few of Europe’s top clubs. He scored 11 goals last season including 3 in the Europa League, giving him early experience of what it takes against some of Europe's best known sides including Valencia and Udinese.

A few days ago, TuttoMercatoWeb published a short story on their website claiming that Chelsea are the latest club to vie for the promising attacking midfielder’s services and are preparing a €5 million bid (the price apparently set by AZ Alkmaar). The article also claims that Manchester City, AC Milan and even Barcelona have been keeping an eye on Maher.

The mix of clubs chasing either suggests he's been impressing visiting scouts or has a very good agent with an active imagination. Indeed he's represented by the same firm which looks after Eden Hazard and Yaya Toure amongst others. Agents played a big part in completing Hazard's move to Chelsea and the links built up during that would help in any move from the London club for Maher.

With 6 goals in 39 appearances in the Eredivise and a full Netherlands cap at the young age of 19, it is fair to say that Adam Maher should go on to achieve great things in the world football. The question is, where?

This piece is by Tom Coast. Tom speaks several languages which enables him to give a fresh and clear perspective on how stories are being covered overseas. Follow Tom on Twitter @SardineTrawler